Sequential analysis: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007) Ryan Arthur Moss (c) 2011
Sequential Analysis: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007) Sequential analysis is essentially the breaking up of a feature film into three acts, your setup, development, and resolution used by screen writers to break the feature film up into easier convenient portions. Act 1 Sequence 1 In the first sequence we are introduced to a voice over of a man we later find out to be Robert Capa (The Protagonist). He foreshadows a basic summary of the movie to us in the first few lines.. They are a crew of 8 going to the sun, on Icarus 2 (the ship) to create a star within another, by dropping a stellar bomb into the sun. Opening visuals you see Searle, the Ship Psychologist staring through filters at the sun. These are significant later in the film. The crew are within hours of losing all communication with the world, and their packages (messages) should be sent before then. Robert Capa, in doing so, records and sends his package, only to get into a scuffle with Mace. This is the first event that gets the viewer engrossed in the film.
Sequence 2 The crew gets to see mercury through the sun filters. 23 hours later a signal is transmitted on the radar. It got transmitted as a reaction from the iron in Mercury as it passed them by. They have found a distress signal from Icarus 1 the sister ship that previously attempted to drop the payload. Could they be alive? The question is raised if the crew could get to Icarus 1. Robert Capa through his knowledge on the payload is faced with the decision whether or not they should go. This is now the main tension in the film as Mace does not want him to go. However two attempts at creating a star are better than one; hence Capa decides to go to Icarus 1. Act 2 Sequence 3 Alarms go off as due to Capa’s decision to go to Icarus 1, Trey takes it upon himself to adjust their path. He messes up, and does not take into account the angles of the sun. The shield of the ship is now compromised. This is where the protagonist (Capa) is now allowed the opportunity (nominated by Mace) to solve the problem and go help the captain repairs the damage. Through this the exterior shield is
repaired and immediate tension is off of Capa, the ship has lost its main oxygen supply and 2 of the communication towers. Icarus being the computer of the ship takes control and re-adjusts the shields, which leads to Mace not willing to give the command code to override Icarus 2. The captain agrees and thus fatally sees the death of the captain after he has finished repairing the ship. The crew now realises their mission is essentially a suicide risk. Oxygen is now low, and they have no choice to dock with Icarus 1, it is their only hope to complete the mission. Trey can be seen as becoming unstable from his actions.
Sequence 4 Some of the crew start to question the amount of oxygen available to complete the mission. The crew are starting to question “the greater good” principle, where you get rid of one or two members for the greater good of mankind. Trey is the first to come to mind, however he alone won’t be enough to save the mission. This tension leads the viewer deeper in the film as it makes you question what moral or immoral decisions are going to be made later in it.
Sequence 5 This sequence is exciting; four crew members are docking Icarus 1. They discover the oxygen garden is intact along with all other life support systems. They find a 6 year old video from the professor on Icarus 1; the previous mission had been sabotaged. All the crew from Icarus 1 are dead. New complications come when the two ships are mysteriously uncoupled. Hierarchy is questioned as initially only one member can return to Icarus 2. This is to be Capa; the new captain Harvey questions the decision. After deliberation, Capa, Mace, and Harvey all attempt to cross over to Icarus 2. Eventually Harvey does not make it across. Dramatic irony comes into play when Searle has to stay behind and operate the seal on Icarus 1 only to be left behind and it’s inevitable he is going to die.
Sequence 6 The crew are warned by Icarus 2, the computer of the ship, that they eill not reach the desired payload destination. There are too many members on board. The “greater good” principle comes into play again, as it seems members are being picked off as the film moves forward. The main antagonist is now discovered who is
the former captain of Icarus 1. A glimpse of the final outcome is hinted as he is trying to stop the mission from being successful. With a self sacrifice of one of the officers, in Sunshine (2007) we finally see a solution as the crew members take control of Icarus 2. The end of the sequence sees the bomb being armed, and all seems to be coming to a final conclusion Act 3 Sequence 7 The former captain of Icarus 1 kills the remaining two crew members, and claims he has spoken to god, and he has to take them back to him. This sequence is short, Capa races to arm the payload. Telegraphing comes into play when he is faced with a time limt and has drastic measures to board Icarus1. Once onboard, we realise the antagonist is still alive, and on board with him.
Sequence 8 The last sequence culminates the narrative with a final confrontation between Capa and the antagonist. Essentially Capa takes control of the situation and sets the destruct sequence on the stellar bomb. Tension is thus released on completion of the mission despite the dramatic irony of their unfortunate fate. The film ties off at the end of sequence when Capa’s family gets his message package, and they realise the mission was a success, the film concludes with the sun slowly becoming brighter over the city.
REFERENCE LIST: Bordwell, D., Thomson, K.(2008)8ed. Film Art: An Introduction. McGraw Hill: University of Wisconsin. Vermaak, J.L.,(2011) lecture 4 slides, Introduction to cinematography (sequences).